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Firstly Happy New Year to my loyal reader (Marky) and any other casual visitors 🙂

So after 35 years of being clean shaven I decided just before Christmas to try growing a beard. No particular reason other than I fancied a change of look and with no work for two weeks it would be an ideal time to try.

Having never gone more than a week of being unshaven it does feel strange to have this growth on my face and I’m still unsure whether it will remain in the long term, but for now it’s here to stay.

It has caused some concern from Tina as she says I look like the local tramp and so I need to ensure I steer clear of any rubbish bins when out walking Rio for fear of becoming a bin-diver.

One thing that has got me thinking is keeping it clean; should I use shampoo or will soap and water suffice? And what about getting food in it, I need to watch that one.

The biggest worry was whether it would grow through grey and so far it does seem to be more silver than I was expecting but I am still retaining some darker colours too. Fingers crossed it won’t go fully white or I’ll be up for taking on the Santa job at the local garden centre next Christmas!

With eager anticipation, I set off early with Rio and my newly arrived drone, the Mavic Pro, heading for one of my regular haunts to give it it’s maiden flight.

The setting up was as quick as I hoped; straight out of the carry bag, unfurl the arms, fire up the remote control and connect my mobile phone and then it was ready to fly. Perfect. Rio did his usual barking as it took off but soon quietened down once it was airborne.

And then I got the first inkling of a problem; a visual sensing error on the RC and red lights flashing from the drone. Hmm better land it and give it a re-calibration. After bringing ‘Mavis’ back to the ground (yes, I called it Mavis the Mavic after Tina’s mum) I tried and failed to re-calibrate the VPS, following the instructions on my iPhone screen. This required moving the drone in square movements, pointing the sensors downwards in order to reset the internal gubbins. But to no avail and after thirty minutes of trying I gave up and headed back home to calibrate the drone using the DJI Assistant app instead.

With the aircraft all nicely re-calibrated, the next morning I took it out for another attempt and this time experienced a different problem; and one that was probably more serious than the first. After taking off the drone started to hover then gain altitude despite not touching the RC controls. Hmm that wasn’t right. And then of more concern I started getting a message on the iPhone stating ‘Landing’ and despite trying to cancel the decent it proceeded to land in a field adjacent to the path Rio and I were on.

Bloody hell, it looks like I had been sent a duff drone. Bugger!

After lots of Googling and checking the DJI Forum site I came to the conclusion that it was the vision sensors that were causing the problem and after posting the problem on the official DJI site and uploading the flight records, the support team seemed to come to the same conclusion and issue an RMA number for it’s return to their repair centre in the Netherlands.

So after a eight week delivery wait, a week of waiting for the weather to improve and two days flying I packed up Mavis and off she went to be fixed. Today I heard she had arrived and being assessed for signs of damage before confirming the next steps in the repair process.

I am hopeful they will fix her soon and she’ll be back before Xmas as I was intending to make use of the time off work over Christmas for some flying. If not it looks like I’ll reverting back to my old drone, which I kept as a back up for just this type of occasion but didn’t think it would be this soon!

As soon as I saw the DJI promotional video showing off their latest offering I knew it would be the one for me. The compact design, the convenience of size and the apparent ease of flying was just too tempting to ignore.

But I’ve already got a drone I hear you say!

Well yes, the upgrade from my first drone to the DJI Phantom 3 Standard was a fantastic step up and sparked an interest in aerial photography and also revitalised me back into video creation. But I soon realised the entry-level drone was exactly that…aimed at beginners and I was getting frustrated with its limitations. As the cheapest model DJI made, it lacked features and I often found that it would lose connection and instigate the ‘return to home’ function even if the drone was close by.

So I had been considering upgrading anyhow, probably to the P3P (professional) which had a better camera, improved WiFi connectivity and more advanced flying features. It also meant I could keep the existing spare battery I bought for the P3S, saving a few quid too.

But there was always the disadvantage with the Phantom series…their size. In order to safely carry the drone around it needed a backpack, and a large one at that. Walking along the street got me some strange looks, with one guy even asking whether I was training to go into the army! I would have loved to have taken the quadcopter on our holiday to Turkey but the size of the bag was just too big and would have certainly raised interest from the security guys.

So when DJI announced the release of the Mavic Pro, I knew it was just what I was looking for. It is such a clever design, the size was small enough fit into a coat pocket and the features were so advanced for something so compact.

The only thing was the price; almost three times the amount I paid for the PS3.

So I hesitated…for a day!

And then bit the bullet and preordered, paying the full price up front.

DJI gave an expected shipping date of mid-October but it was soon apparent they had wildly miscalculated the popularity of their latest offering and soon social media was muttering that there was going to be delays. To be fair to DJI they did state early on that orders would be on a first-come-first-served basis but I really didn’t expect it would have a dramatic impact on delivery times. Of course, mid-October turned into November and with no news on the impending shipping I was resigned to the fact that I would have to stick with the Phantom for the foreseeable future. I had been tracking other customers deliveries on a socially-shared spreadsheet but the shipments were erratic and difficult to judge when mine would be ready to send out.

And then on Saturday I received the mail I had been waiting for; notice that the Mavic had been shipped. Yeah!

I was given tracking information and an expected delivery date of Wednesday and so logged on to the DHL website and followed the parcel from China, through Hong Kong and Belgium, arriving into the UK via East Midlands airport on Sunday night before being shipped to Birmingham, ready for delivery. And on Monday morning I got a ‘parcel out for delivery’ notice, less than 48 hours from leaving Shenzhen. Incredible.

And so last night I savoured the unboxing and managed maiden flight, albeit in the living room for just a minute. And I am so impressed!

Unfortunately the rotten weather and shortness of the daylight hours meant no chance of flying properly today but hopefully I’ll get the opportunity to get out and do some flying on Friday as I have the day off. And then next weekend we’re off to Jersey for a few days to see Abby and I’m definitely including my little drone in my carry on bag.

Last week our team held a ‘charity event’ at the Patshull Scout Activity Centre in South Staffordshire. One of the team is a scout leader and suggested that he could organise the event in exchange for the team carrying out ‘tasks’ such as clearing paths and digging holes, and fortunately everyone was up for it.

On arrival it didn’t take long for the team to erect their own tents. They were small two-man versions (everyone got their own for comfort and reduced embarrassment factor) and for me, having spent many a happy time in my youth camping, erecting the tent was just like riding a bike and it was soon upright and the outer flysheet pegged down (note I even remember the technical terms still).

Whilst the rest of the camp was preparing for the day ahead, I decided it would be a good opportunity to fly the drone to get some shots of the campsite and as expected it caused quite a stir with everyone down below.

Somehow I managed to get voted in a team leader and our first task was to decide what work we would do. After debate we decided that digging a hole for a drain soak away would be just down our street (Virgin Media people do like digging holes) so we headed off to the shed to obtain some shovels. Vaughan, the organiser and scout leader, said the hole needed to be 2m x 2m x 2m deep, but we soon realised that was going to be a tall ask, especially with only spades and a couple of broken forks available. One of the guys did bring a mattock which helped break up the soil and soon we had the job completed; albeit only to a depth of 1m.

After an impromptu team meeting with the boss, we then started on some of the not-such-a-small-quantity of alcohol which had been gathered for the team. A 4pm start meant it was going to be a long night though.

After the BBQ, we settled around the campfire for a good old scouting singsong, led by Skip, a chap Vaughan had arranged, who knew all the words and got us all up, despite most now being quite inebriated.

I managed to stay awake till gone midnight, when I made my way back to my tent, hoping the wine and cider combination would send me straight to sleep. Not a chance!

Sleeping on a slope, in a smallish tent, on a single airbed, in a tiny sleeping bag and with noises outside is just not great for a good nights sleep, with multiple trips to the loo not helping. Eventually I got to sleep about 4am but at dawn, I was woken by the chorus of wildlife that surrounded the campsite. I decided to get up for a shower!

After a full English breakfast (I assisted in the cooking) we took part in a team building exercise – building a bridge out of poles and ropes – amazingly it supported ten people, did some rifle shooting and then cleared the site ready for departure.

Whilst the experience was worth participating in, I think my camping days are over and I’ll stick to hotels in future. And when I got home I counted eleven mosquito bites on my arms, back and feet, the perils of sleeping outdoors I guess.

Somehow I managed to become the unofficial videographer so cobbled together a short film capturing the highlights of the two days.

We all enjoyed the experience although I’m not quite sure how much ‘charity’ work we actually really did!

So with a month of flying under my belt I thought it was about time I expanded my flying repertoire by trying to get some cinematic shots, following some techniques I’d seen on YouTube (the best place to learn for free of course!).

Armed with my drone, the dog and a can of Jungle Formula I headed off to the local gravel pit adjacent the River Nene for some early morning quadcoptering (I know it’s not a proper word but ‘droning’ isn’t much better 🙂 )

Anyhow, I had pre-planned my shots for two locations; one from the side of the Thrapston gravel pit and the second from the river bank and fortunately neither had any fishing men nearby (both locations are popular with piscatorial folk). Both flights required flying over water, which I’d only done once before and so it was with nervousness that I sent the Phantom up for the first time.

Here is the first flight (edited on the DJI app so click here to view). The quality isn’t brilliant but I think that’s due to the app not the drone.

Mission one accomplished we moved on to location two, a short distance to the river bank. Here I wanted a slightly different shot and the plan was to do a flyover up the river but the shot didn’t quite come off so I tried another selfie with Rio.

Here’s the second film, this time posted on YouTube.

I was quite pleased with that one 🙂

And so on to last night and with the evening brightening up, I took the opportunity to get out for an hour and go explore. I headed for a local footpath I’d never been to before as it looked a quiet location and would be idea for flying.

I also took my handheld video camera this time as one of the YouTube channels suggested using footage taken from the ground to enhance the filming. It was a challenge at first to control the drone and the camera but I will agree it does add something extra to the overall quality of the film.

And so to the near disaster…

I spend some time flying around and practicing some flyovers and other filming techniques before heading back to the first field for more of the same before the second battery went flat. Just before I finished for the evening I decided on one last flyover and it nearly ended up…. well rather than give the game away take a look at the longer edited version of the film I made…

My heart nearly sank as my pride and joy nearly came a cropper but thankfully all turned out well in the end. A lesson learned to be a bit more careful in future!

I also made a shortened version which I posted on Facebook which gives the near-fail a bit more of a dramatic edge.

I am continually researching new places to go and fly; the Peak District is one of my possible destinations but it might have to wait until the kids go back to school as there’s bound to be too many people there time this time of the year.

Ever since the nearby wind farm was built a few years ago I have been fascinated by the technology and the turbines ability to be able to work so efficiently despite their enormous size. They look so big from a distance and rarely are they ever still, even with the lightest of breezes, very clever technology.

The original ten turbines at Burton Wold Wind Farm near Burton Latimer, Northamptonshire were so successful in their electricity generation that they recently added a further nine, and now the site is able to generate almost 50% of the power requirements for the Kettering district.

But getting close to them to have a better look is not so easy; I think the owners are not keen for the public to get near for fear of them suffering damage or for public safety reasons. From the main roads that surround the farm there are signs that say ‘KEEP OUT’ and ‘No Entry Private Property’ and so it was with a bit of trepidation that I ventured out with my drone to see if I could get a closer look.

I had already done some homework and surveyed the local ordinance survey map and found that a public footpath went close to an abandoned stone quarry, which also just happened be be adjacent then wind farm too. Two birds etc…

So on Sunday evening I headed out for some quadcopter flying exploration.

Getting to the edge of the quarry/wind farm wasn’t too bad; clearly the footpath wasn’t a well trodden route and a bit overgrown but I soon found a clearing where I could launch from. After takeoff, initially I surveyed the old quarry but it was overgrown and pretty uninteresting so instead turned the camera towards the wind turbines to record some great shots looking across the site from the high vantage point. I was of course careful not to encroach the fields, keeping the drone directly above my head all the time in flight.

After a few minutes I brought the aircraft back down and moved further around the footpath so I could get some shots facing south towards the original turbines. Again, I managed to get some good footage before bringing it back down. It was at that point I stopped and listened to the turbine slowly rotating and it was only then I could appreciate the calmness of the electricity generation, the near silent whoosh as the blades rotated.

I recorded a few filler shots from my iPhone before heading back home, eager to check out the footage I’d shot and wasn’t disappointed by the results.

Last week I had to drive to Teesside, which is quite close to the Yorkshire Moors, an ideal place to get in some drone flying. After my meeting, I headed off towards the park but was thwarted by heavy rain so abandoned the idea.

So with the weekend weather improving, it was time to try to get some flying in so off I and Rio headed to a field nearby. On arriving I found that the farmer had even cut down the long grass for me, what a result.

I soon had the drone up in the air, surveying the surrounding countryside, including the River Nene and the local lakes. I then spotted a worrying view at the far end of the field from the on board camera; a gathering of travellers and the vehicles was growing! I hastily moved back into the corner, not wanting to trigger a gypsy aircraft attack and carried flying until the battery alarm signalled it was time to bring it back down.

With my normal dog walking route to the nature reserve needing to go past the visitors; I packed up my bag and headed off towards them but found that instead I’d stumbled on a metal detectorists gathering (ah that was why the farmer had cut down the grass!). I stopped and had a chat with the marshall before continuing the dog walk.

Interestingly I’d never come across a treasure hunter meet before and assumed it would be organised so that every blade of grass was covered. Not a chance! They fanned out as they arrived in their cars, every saddo to themselves, digging holes as they went.

If you look carefully you can see the cars starting to line up along the edge of the field.

Anyhow here is the footage for flight #4.

My next flight was Sunday evening when I went out with the family and did some flyovers, making good use of the foreground interest they afforded as well as the low sunset glows. Rather than use Final Cut Pro I created a video using the DJI software. I will edit the full footage but was quite please with this short effort.

My latest flight was last night, again making use the great sunlight and was rather pleased with the outcome. Check out the start of the big reveal from 1:30, a great cinematic shot.

I have also been looking up local spots to fly from, using Ordinance Survey maps to find footpaths; I have a few marked so hopefully I’ll be able to get some different countryside shots over coming weeks.

So flight number three nearly didn’t happen yesterday as the weather was crap when I got home from work so I was pleasantly surprised when the clouds cleared around 8pm allowing some flying time. It was a bit windy but not enough to stop the flying.

I intended to drive down to the first place I flew my quadcopter, but found out that cars were not allowed down the lane so instead stopped at a spot I often walk the dog. It looks down over the town so thought it would be an ideal spot for getting shots of the fields and the setting sun.

I soon had the aircraft in the sky and filming the surrounding countryside, practicing flying and generally having some fun, especially knowing that I had extra time in the air as I now had the second battery I’d ordered.

Disappointingly, the setting sun wasn’t great to look at so in the end did some low level shots of the wheat fields and a couple of flyovers. I then headed home and downloaded the video to my laptop ready for editing tonight.

The last time I did any proper video editing using Final Cut Pro was a few years ago, but after watching a couple of online tutorials I soon got back into it. The final edit ended up a a bit smaller in frame size than I would have liked but I needed to cut out some of the video shots due to the high winds showing the propeller guards.

Another glorious day and ideal flying weather meant only one thing; Rio was in for an early morning walk again and it was also drone time (I really need to stop calling it a drone, it’s technically a quad-copter!).

We set off towards the river and found an ideal spot for launching the aircraft; a quiet car park right next to a field. After carrying out the pre-flight checks I soon had it in the air; the distinctive red propeller guards I’d bought yesterday helping me to see which round the copter was facing.

I did some fly-by’s of the adjacent lake and some shots of Rio and me walking before the battery warning message showed it was time to bring it back down. The twenty minutes flight time really does go quickly when your having fun.

I’m trying to keep the videos fairly short so they don’t bore the pants of the viewers!